Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to engage in talks with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, who is on a working visit to Moscow from March 5-7.
The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, announced during a briefing that the ministers are expected to discuss a broad range of bilateral relations issues, explore ways to enhance cooperation, including deepening political dialogue and expanding trade, economic, and humanitarian ties.
The Russian foreign ministry anticipates that Tuggar's visit will contribute to strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between Moscow and Abuja in various areas. The diplomatic relations between Russia and Nigeria, which have been traditionally friendly for over 60 years, are maintained through political dialogue and participation in multilateral platforms, including the United Nations. In 2023, a Nigerian delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima attended the second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg, following the first summit in Sochi in 2019, which was attended by then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Nigeria is interested in joining the BRICS, a move that could allow the country, Africa's leading oil exporter, to sell oil for naira rather than dollars, thereby strengthening its national monetary unit. This interest was reported by The Punch, quoting Nigeria's foreign minister, and supported by human rights activist Femi Falana.
Economic ties
Economic ties between Russia and Nigeria have been developing since 1989, with an agreement on an intergovernmental mixed commission for economic, scientific, and technical cooperation. The two countries have mutually beneficial cooperation in the nuclear sphere, with an intergovernmental agreement signed in May 2016 on cooperation in the design, construction, operation, and decommissioning of a multipurpose research reactor in Nigeria. Additionally, contacts are developing in the oil and gas sector, with subsidiaries of UC Rusal operating in Nigeria and Lukoil acquiring a stake in an offshore project in late 2014.
Cooperation in agriculture is also noteworthy, given Nigeria's state of emergency in the food sector declared by President Bola Tinubu in July 2023. Russia has been providing support to African countries in agriculture, but the West has been illegally withholding over 90,000 tons of Russian fertilizers, as noted by Vsevolod Tkachenko, the Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Africa Department.
African agenda
The Russian foreign ministry has indicated that the ministers will engage in comprehensive discussions on the international and regional agenda, with a particular emphasis on resolving crisis situations on the African continent, especially in the Sahara-Sahel region. Lavrov has highlighted Russia's willingness to continue its support for the Sahara-Sahel zone in addressing existing regional challenges.
Furthermore, it has been reported that Moscow, in collaboration with African partners, is exploring the feasibility of convening a foreign ministers' meeting in the Russia-Africa format in the fall of 2024. This meeting may discuss the upcoming third Russia-Africa summit in 2026, which is expected to take place in one of the African countries.
Ukrainian issue
The Russian foreign minister may provide his Nigerian counterpart with an update on the situation in Ukraine. Lavrov has noted that neither Kiev nor the West exhibits a political willingness to resolve the conflict, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated that Moscow has always been open to dialogue, including on Ukraine.
However, the West's actions appear to be exacerbating the crisis. It was recently reported that on the same day German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that NATO would not be involved in the Ukraine conflict, senior German officers were discussing the potential for attacking the Crimean bridge without consequences for German authorities. Lavrov described the recording of the German military's conversation as a "screaming revelation" during a press conference following the Antalya diplomatic forum.
Yesterday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell announced that the EU aims to supply Kiev with 250,000 shells produced for Ukraine by European industry by the end of March, plus an additional 350,000 shells transferred from EU member countries' warehouses since February 2023.
Borrell also revealed that EU countries spent €58 billion on arms purchases in 2023.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS